UpDate - Vol. 15, No. 38, Page 1
August 1, 1996
Composites Center selected as partner in Army program

     The University of Delaware Center for Composite Materials (CCM)
has been selected as one of three partners in the development of an
Army Research Laboratory (ARL) Materials Center of Excellence,
University President David P. Roselle announced Monday.
     The partnership begins with a $2.7 million cooperative agreement
to the University through December of 1998.
     "Under this new program, the UD's Center for Composite Materials
and the Army Research Lab will join forces to share resources-and
those resources include people, equipment and knowledge-to create a
cooperative environment in the best research tradition of the
University," Roselle said.
     "The University of Delaware enjoys a national reputation as a
first-class research University where the education of students is our
top priority, and the collaborative program we're announcing today
builds on that," he said. "The program supports basic research to be
carried out by a research team consisting of Army researchers,
University faculty and research staff-and importantly undergraduate
and graduate students."
     "This cooperative agreement with the Army is a big victory for
Delaware," said U.S. Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., Delaware '65, who led
the efforts to bring the Army Research Laboratory and this program to
Delaware. "This selection of the University of Delaware's Center for
Composite Materials demonstrates that it is a world leader in
designing better protection systems for our soldiers using advanced
composite materials."
     At the news conference, Biden also addressed Roselle directly,
saying, "I think you-more than anyone else in the years I've been
associated with the University (and I've been associated with the
University a long time)-have catapulted the University of Delaware
into the high-tech, 21st century in a way that no one else has done.
And, it's been your persistence and your background, your knowledge
and your ability to get folks to work together in ways I haven't seen
in a while. So, I compliment you for that and thank you....
     "While Delaware's investment in its state university promotes
continuing strengthening of higher education in Delaware," Biden said,
"it also provides continuing dividends for the state of Delaware...
beyond the education of our students and students from around the
country. It seems to me also in landing the contract for designing
better weapon system materials for our soldiers, it enables the center
to make a direct contribution to our national security."
     Larry Johnson, director of the ARL Materials Directorate, said,
"The University of Delaware brings to the table its international
reputation as experts in composite materials research. Its vast
research capability, coupled with the Army Research Laboratory's own
significant capability both in facilities and personnel, will enable
the performance of outstanding research in support of the Army's
mission.
     "One of our fundamental goals and concerns is the protection of
our soldiers on the battlefield from bullets and other types of
penetrants, as well as from the chemical agents that might be used on
the battlefield. Materials research is a key to that protection-
development of new materials, combinations of materials and cost-
effective fabrication to protect our soldiers of the future," Johnson
said. "That is why it is crucial to bring the best minds in materials
research together to focus on the future."
     Established via a cooperative research agreement, the new
Composite Materials Research Collaborative Program will support the
Army's mission to promote and advance research and development in
composite materials, provide assessment and systems support and
support the transition of composites technology.
     Of the two other programs, one will focus on advanced materials
characterization at Johns Hopkins University, and the second will
investigate dendrimer polymers at the Michigan Molecular Institute.
     According to John W. Gillespie Jr., CCM technical director and
principal investigator of the new program, the agreement is a "new
paradigm for university/government collaboration that combines the
best attributes of both to create an open-lab environment for
University and Army researchers."
     The multidisciplinary program, which includes collaborative
research, scientific exchange and facilities sharing, initially will
involve 11 ARL co-investigators, 11 UD co-investigators, five graduate
fellows, five postdoctoral fellows and 14 summer interns, including
nine undergraduate researchers. Students and postdoctoral fellows will
be co-advised by University and Army personnel.
     "A parallel management structure has been created so that the two
organizations are working together at every stage-identifying the
research needs and milestones to meet them, conducting the research
and advising the students," Gillespie said.
     "This program is very different from a typical government grant
to an academic institution," Gary Hagnauer, ARL senior research
scientist, explained, "in that we expect substantial interaction
between ARL and the University. Our goal will be to promote
coordination and integration of UD and ARL programs and thereby
maximize research productivity and benefits to the Army."
     The initial focus of the program will be on multifunctional
hybrid composites for integral armor. "We're aiming at optimizing
hybrid materials and processes for the special requirements of armor-
ballistic protection, damage tolerance, minimum weight, signature
management, flexibility and optical clarity/scratch resistance, while
maintaining structural integrity," Gillespie said.
     The research program currently is organized into four theme
areas: processing science, microstructure and bonding, mechanics and
durability and composite materials assessment.
     The facilities exchange component of the program minimizes
facilities duplication and promotes synergy, coordination and
integration of research projects. ARL scientists in residence have
full access to CCM facilities and equipment, and CCM researchers have
begun using ARL testing equipment at the Army's Chestnut Run facility,
including mechanical and impact testing equipment, Raman spectroscopy
and environmental chambers.
     Finally, the Army has located some of its own equipment,
including a SMARTweave setup, an RTM press and equipment for X-ray
photoelectron spectroscopy, at the University to support collaborative
research.
     Educational opportunities will include annual workshops and
symposia, seminars, research focus groups and joint external seminars
at the University of Delaware and Chestnut Run. ARL employees will
have the opportunity to participate in the University's continuing
education programs, including Engineering Outreach and the FOCUS
distance learning program. Three ARL employees are currently taking
courses at the University, and more are expected to participate over
the next year once the program is further under way.
     Collaboration is expected not only between the Army and each of
the participating organizations but also among the three participants.
CCM has an ongoing link to Johns Hopkins' Center for Nondestructive
Evaluation, primarily in the area of sensor assessment for the
automated thermoplastic tow-placement process, and this link will be
expanded in the ARL program. CCM also has a direct connection to the
dendrimer program through the participation of Giuseppe Palmese, CCM
research associate IV, as part of the Michigan Molecular Institute
research team.
     "The Center for Composite Materials' status as a U.S. Army Center
of Excellence and a pioneer in university-industry partnerships has
enabled the establishment of a premier technology transfer network to
transition research accomplishments both to Army labs and their
supporting industry base," Gillespie said. "These relationships have
evolved to the point where research and technology transfer are done
in 'real time' with the full participation of several Army scientists
and engineers in residence at CCM. This program will enable the
University of Delaware to serve as a catalyst for transitioning
technology and promoting commercialization of composite materials."
     "Basic research programs like this new collaboration are critical
to the health of our nation's science and technology base," Hagnauer
said. "The program focus on integral armor is timely, and the research
will help to meet a very real need faced by the Army. The Center for
Composite Materials has demonstrated the capability to transition from
the science base into key technologies for ARL and other Army labs."
                                        -Diane Kukich and John Brennan